Each of the medal ceremonies will be led out by a female "escort" who will walk alongside the international Olympic committee presenter, but the trays of flowers and medals will be carried exclusively by men.

The new protocols, which introduce men into the presentation, unlike the Beijing Olympics which featured women only, were intended to elevate the status of women in the ceremony. Locog says " women will be out there at the presentation longer" than the men, who will march back into the bowels of the stadium after delivering the medals.

But the different jobs mean only 100 women will be involved in the presentations compared to 200 men. When asked why the roles couldn't have been shared among both sexes, a Locog spokesman said it was an issue with "uniform design".

The news came as the podiums, ceremonial costumes, make-up and flowers which will be used in victory ceremonies at London 2012 were revealed.

The victory ceremonies will crown the winners of 805 events and take place in 30 different venues over the course of the games.

Royal purple costumes and podiums have been designed for the games by a team of five students at London's Royal College of Art.

Male flower and medal bearers will wear the ceremonial costumes, the first time that this role has not been filled by women, as will the female athlete and presenter escorts, who will accompany those taking part in the ceremony to the podium.

Designers Thomas Crisp and Trine Hav aspire to "represent London and its architecture with a modern twist".

They have drawn on a fusion of influences past and present, and are "inspired by Greek mythology as well as British heritage".

The victory podiums have been designed by students Gaetano Ling, Hong-Yeul Eom, Luc Fusaro, Heegun Koo and Yan Lu, in such a way that they utilise "dynamic lines representing the energy that the Games and athletes represent".

Over the course of the Games, 4,400 floral bouquets will be presented to athletes as they wait to receive their medals during the victory ceremonies.

Designed by florist Jane Packer, the bouquets will contain four varieties of rose, a flower synonymous with Britain. Each section will also contain traditional herbs – mint, rosemary, English lavender and wheat. All of the flowers and herbs will be grown in Britain.

Organisers also unveiled the make-up which will be worn by the escorts accompanying athletes and presenters. The make-up is based upon purple and gold shades, a look which Locog describes as "fresh and natural".